JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia announced on Wednesday the appointment of former Netherlands forward Patrick Kluivert as their new men’s national team coach, a move to bolster their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The appointment of former AC Milan, Ajax and Barcelona player Kluivert, who scored 40 goals in 79 appearances for his country, follows the sacking on Monday of South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong.
Kluivert, 48, who won the Champion’s League title as a player with Ajax in 1995, will take charge of Indonesia until 2027, with an option to extend further, the country’s soccer federation said in a statement.
Indonesia are third in their World Cup group after six of 10 matches, a point behind Australia in the battle for the second automatic spot in the finals, which will be expanded from 32 to 48 teams in the contest jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Since ending his playing career in 2008, Kluivert has held various roles, including coach of Turkish side Adana Demirspor and the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.
He has served as director of football for Paris St Germain, assistant coach of the Netherlands and Cameroon, and manager of the youth team of Ajax.
Kluivert will be unveiled in Jakarta on Sunday and will be joined in Indonesia by two assistant coaches, fellow Dutchmen Alex Pastoor and Denny Landzaat.
His first competitive match in charge will be Indonesia’s trip to Australia for a World Cup qualifier on March 20.
Indonesia’s sole World Cup appearance came during Dutch rule in 1938, as the Dutch East Indies. If they finish third or fourth, they could still reach the 2026 finals through further rounds of qualifying and an intercontinental playoff.
(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Martin Petty)
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